Biotech Q&A: President of Q BioMed Inc.
(OTCQB: QBIO) Expands on Corporate Update
Denis Corin Discusses Mannin
Research Inc’s Leading Glaucoma Drug Candidate MAN-01
March 21, 2016 Point
Roberts WA - Investorideas.com, a digital global news source covering leading
sectors including medical technology and biotech stocks releases a recent
interview with Mr. Denis Corin, President of Q BioMed Inc. (OTCQB: QBIO). Denis expands on the recent corporate update
and Scrip Intelligence Video released in late February. He also comments on
recent developments with Mannin Research Inc’s leading glaucoma drug candidate
MAN-01. (In October 2015 Q BioMed Inc. entered into an
agreement with Mannin Research to exclusively license, with an option to
acquire, the platform technology assets of Mannin Research, the developer of a
new class of vascular therapeutics.)
Read the full interview at:
Q&A
Q: Investorideas.com
Denis, your company’s
strategy is to acquire companies and biomedical assets. Can you expand on that
and also share what assets have been acquired or licensed to date?
A: Mr. Denis Corin, President of Q BioMed Inc.
Sure, our mission is
to license and acquire innovative life sciences assets from academia or small
private companies and provide the strategic resources including financial capital,
intellectual capital, business development and scientific advice to accelerate
their product development timelines to commercialize their drug candidates or
bring them to the next level in terms of valuation inflection.
We have identified
several targets that we believe could provide a substantial pipeline of
innovative and high value assets. We will aim to maximize risk-adjusted returns
by focusing on multiple assets throughout the discovery and development cycle,
so we’ll have assets in pre-clinical, clinical and commercial stages. This
allows a nice flow of development news and value drivers as they all move
through their paces. We expect to benefit from early positioning in illiquid and/or unknown private assets with multiple
potential products in their development cycle and to capitalize on valuation
growth as they move forward in their development. We believe this gives
investors a unique opportunity to participate in the growth and development of
these assets and the value they bring to the overall pipeline.
In the last quarter
of 2015, we entered into an exclusive License and Purchase Option Agreement
with Mannin Research Inc. whereby we were granted a worldwide, exclusive
license, with the option to acquire their platform assets for Glaucoma and
other indications. The Mannin IP and technology platform is initially focused
on developing a first-in-class eye drop treatment for glaucoma. The technology
platform may be expanded in scope beyond Glaucoma as well as beyond
ophthalmological uses and may include cystic kidney disease and others.
This is an area of
therapy that urgently needs a new offering. No new drugs in this particular
indication have been successfully brought to this market for over 20 years.
The global market for
Glaucoma therapeutics is one of the largest segments of the $23 billion global
ophthalmology market. There are 60
million people worldwide suffering from Glaucoma. It is projected that the total population
suffering from Glaucoma will grow to 80 million by 2020 (W.H.O 2010), so there
is an acute need for this type of drug in a very lucrative market. Our lead
candidate, MAN-01, will address this market as a first-in-class drug that
treats abnormal vessels within the eye, thereby treating Glaucoma at its root
causes.
There is no cure for
Glaucoma and new therapeutics are highly sought after. Current therapies and
surgical procedures are not optimally effective, are painful and not well
tolerated by patients.
Together with Mannin,
we are developing a unique molecule in the form of an easy-to-administer eye
drop, designed to repair the normal flow of fluid in the eye and resulting in
the reduction of intraocular pressure (IOP), one of the main causes of
Glaucoma. Our platform is both unique and first-in-class and we are the only
drug company targeting this method of action.
IOP caused by
abnormal flow of clear fluid within the eye damages the nerves in the eye,
eventually leading to blindness. A specialized blood vessel, the ‘Schlemm’s Canal’
is the major drainage pathway for fluid to escape from the front of the eye.
Glaucoma can occur when this canal is either blocked or from a birth defect,
resulting in a small or absent Schlemm’s Canal. Our drug candidate would target
the organization of the Schlemm’s Canal on a cellular level, thereby creating
the optimal environment for ‘repair’ and improved flow and ultimately, lower
IOP.
Given the large 23
Billion dollar ophthalmology market and the acute need for these types of
drugs, we believe there is a substantial opportunity here. In addition, a deep
pipeline of novel therapeutics can be developed from this research platform,
developed and lead by Dr. Quaggin, which would treat a spectrum of vascular
diseases including Cystic Kidney disease.
So to sum up, while
this is an earlier stage pre-clinical asset, we see tremendous opportunity here
and look forward to building value in it as we advance.
Q: Investorideas.com
Can you tell us about
your recent addition to management, Mr. David Laskow-Pooley, as VP Scientific
& Product Development, and the value added to your team in seeking new
products for your pipeline?
A: Mr. Denis Corin, President of Q BioMed Inc.
David is an industry
veteran with a very broad-based and deep knowledge. We are very pleased to have
him on board with us. He has 30 years of experience in all aspects of the
discovery, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products,
diagnostics and devices. He has a distinguished career working for numerous
pharmaceutical and life sciences companies. David has held director, executive
officer and general management posts in both small and major multinational
companies including GSK, Abbott, Amersham plc, Life Technologies, OSI, Bilcare
and Surface Therapeutics.
David brings
tremendous operational value to us as we look at commercializing assets and
advancing them through the development life cycle. He has some very deep and
unique experiences that will fit perfectly with some of the assets we are
currently evaluating.
Q: Investorideas.com
Can you talk about
Mannin Research Inc’s Glaucoma treatment technology and its lead drug candidate
MAN-01 and the progress it is making?
A: Mr. Denis Corin, President of Q BioMed Inc
Mannin Research’s
(Mannin) Glaucoma therapeutic is a first-in-class therapeutic designed to treat
Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma. It is based on the research by Dr. Susan Quaggin,
Director of the Feinberg Cardiovascular Research Institute and Chief of the
Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at Northwestern University. The MAN-01
therapeutic is an important molecule in the context of new pharmaceuticals that
can treat Glaucoma. Mannin’s therapeutic will address increased intraocular
pressure in the eye by acting on a vessel in the eye called the Schlemm’s Canal,
which is a main drainage path for the eye. Mannin is currently in the
pre-clinical phase. Optimizing the molecule, we aim to use it in the clinic in
late 2017/early 2018. There we are looking at demonstrating the effectiveness
of this therapeutic in lowering intraocular pressure (IOP). We are making good
progress and are on track to meet our internal milestones.
Q: Investorideas.com
Aerie
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: AERI) reported safety results recently from a
trial testing its Glaucoma treatment. Can you give us a quick differentiation
in technology and approach between Mannin’s MAN-01 and Aerie Pharmaceuticals
treatment?
A: Mr. Denis Corin, President of Q
BioMed Inc.
Aerie’s approach to
treatment in Glaucoma, like ours, is to reduce IOP, which is the gold standard
in measuring the effectiveness of Glaucoma’s therapeutics. Aerie’s mechanism of
action (MOA) is the Rock/NET pathway which acts primarily on the Tubercular Meshwork,
best described as a ‘sieve’ that sits on top of the main drainage canal in the
eye, the ‘Schlemms Canal’. If this ‘sieve’ becomes inelastic or degraded it
inhibits the optimal flow of fluids to the drain. Imagine, if you will, a
‘leaf-guard’ on top of a gutter on the roof of your house.
Mannin’s approach is
to reduce IOP by addressing the defective cellular makeup of the actual ‘drain
or gutter’ responsible for 70-90% of the fluid movement. Just a small
improvement in the performance of this important vessel can have a significant
effect on fluid movement and reducing IOP. So we believe this is a very
important area for therapeutic development which is currently not being
addressed with existing or new therapeutics in the pipeline.
The technical
description of this is described in Dr. Quaggin’s research published in the JCI
2014 paper (Thompson et all, JCI, 2014).
Q: Investorideas.com
In your recent update
you stated it is your goal to have at least 3 asset transactions completed this
year to expand and broaden your pipeline. Can you tell us what areas within
your sector seem promising and what you are looking into?
A: Mr. Denis Corin, President of Q BioMed Inc.
We are not really
looking in any area specifically. We are just hunting for good value in
undervalued or undiscovered assets that we believe have great potential. That
said, we have a few targets on our due diligence list now that we really like.
The most likely to make the top of that short list is a revenue ready asset
that we think could be a revenue generator in the first year and also has some
very exciting indication expansion possibilities. We’d like to have one deal
done in the next quarter and possibly one more by the end of the year.
We hope interested
shareholders and potential shareholders will stay up to date on our progress
and come along for the ride by visiting our website and sign up for out news
updates.
About Q BioMed Inc. (OTCQB:QBIO)
Q BioMed Inc.
("Q") is a biomedical acceleration and development company. We are
focused on acquiring companies and biomedical assets. Q is dedicated to
providing these target companies and assets, strategic resources, developmental
support, and expansion capital to ensure they meet their developmental
potential enabling them to provide products to patients in need.
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